Battle of Flowers

The first day of Carnival, the boxes are placed along the Cumbiódromo and the street is closed to allow the passage of carriages and alluding to the "Battle of the Flowers. " The parade is chaired by the Queen's carriage, dancing and throwing flowers to the audience, while a large troupe of princes and princesses accompany walk while encouraging.Also taking part are other coaches, more than 140 parades, dances, traditional costumes and allegorical characters of the time, including highlighting the "Marimonda, hooded with very long noses, the" gigantonas "dancing on stilts, the" dwarf big heads, with huge masks, "Shakira" and the classic "Cantinflas".

The monocuco

"The monocuco"is the costume of the guy who wanted to hide his identity. Local folklore says that the time was a village Barranquilla, rich men attracted by the beauty of women of short resources devised the guise of "monocuco"to conquer without revealing their identity. The figure was assembled from a stick to threaten those who would like approach to recognize it.

At present, the "monocuco" is a costume that is unique and its colors, a mask and muzzle, allowing the wearer to hide his mouth.

The Congo

The Congo is one of the oldest Carnival costumes. According to the study the researcher Carlos Franco Medina, the dress is typical of a war dance originally from the Congo in Africa. Colombia is known through the councils of the black Africans were held in Cartagena.

The standard is satin trousers and has patches on the knees, which are in tabular form, the boot pants end up on washers uneven color, the sides have ribbons and sequins. The shirt is long sleeves, with breast of the same fabric layer, which are decorated with pictures of animals made ​​with sequins.

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the bull

La comparsa Torito Carnival is one of the areas of action of Barranquilla Cultural Corporation, which pays homage to the mask logo Carnaval de Barranquilla (the bull) declared a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO. We invite you to make part of our big parade, we are category A, the best of the carnival. I hope

the marimonda

The list is almost endless costume of the imagination of Barranquilla for Carnival. One of the most representative costumes marimonda is the unique set of the wit Barranquilla, because the rest are of European or African. Was born when a Barranquilla, having no money to dress, came dressed with a bag, tie and trousers old, put upside down and, as a mask, a sack of flour which opened three holes, to mock the rest fellow citizens. It also is said to be a mockery of corrupt state officials. The costume actually consists of trousers, long sleeve shirt, tie, sweater or vest, and a mask made ​​with a kind of cloth bag with three holes, lined with fabric tubes filled with a long nose, like a member virile, and ears like those of elephants, with colored shapes. This costume should always be accompanied by a whistle, rubber, known as "pea pea", which serves to express intemperate sound waste and the joy that is disguised as marimonda. Well known is the saying Barranquilla: "It is nothing but the disguise of marimonda the jumps you have to give. " Some of the characters and traditional costumes and are representative of the Barranquilla Carnival

Carnival history

The Carnival of Barranquilla has its remote origins in the carnival that came to America from Spain. So he has a spirit of renewal and change similar to that inspired this holiday season in Europe
The first carnival held in the city is lost in history, more than a century ago, when Barrie was a small town
. The carnival of European origin, were introduced to America by the Spanish and Portuguese. The history of Barranquilla have come to the conclusion that was made in Cartagena de Indias, in colonial times as slaves party, by that time appeared on the streets black with traditional instruments and special costumes, dancing and singing. In the second half of the nineteenth century, Barranquilla increased all sectors of its economy and exploited the geographical conditions that were beginning to put as main city in the Caribbean region. "The advantage of being at the mouth of the main waterway of Colombia, the Magdalena River, the port allows for river and sea, and its location in northern Colombia and in the area circum allows economic displacement Cartagena, Mompox, Santa Marta and the Bank, and many of its inhabitants who are coming to participate in prosperity Barranquilla "